For months, Volusia County sheriff’s detectives have been targeting street-level drug dealers on the west side of the county – working off of tips and complaints from the community.

On Tuesday, those months of hard work and undercover investigation paid off in a series of arrests of dealers of cocaine, heroin and other drugs.

Tuesday’s sweep across the DeLand and Deltona areas, part of a special operation with the West Volusia Narcotics Task Force and Deltona Narcotics Enforcement Team, targeted more than 30 individuals with arrest warrants issued as a result of undercover VCSO investigations. Sixteen people were arrested in the “Operation Crack of Dawn” round-up, with nine others previously arrested in the days leading up to it.

“We will continue to come after these drug dealers who are peddling poison on our streets, destroying the lives of their customers and disrupting our quality of life in Volusia County,” Sheriff Mike Chitwood said. “They can run, and they can hide, but we will find them – we won’t stop looking.”

In addition to the 25 arrests, 12 more suspects are still wanted on outstanding warrants related to street-level drug sales.

Searches of some of the defendants’ homes on Tuesday led to the discovery of drugs, cash, weapons and ammunition. One of the guns, found at the home of 27-year-old Jamar Booker, was a .45 caliber Beretta handgun previously reported stolen in Volusia County.

Another stolen gun was recovered in the lead-up to the operation, during a search on Monday. That house, the home of convicted felons Frank Taylor, 48, and Sanmeshia Johnson, 29, also contained Morphine, Oxycodone, Adderall, Suboxone and Dilaudid along with meth and marijuana. Johnson was already on probation for selling drugs.

A search at the home of 32-year-old Tiberius Dixon, another suspect already on probation for drug sales, revealed cocaine, prescription drugs and marijuana.

George Dukes, 36, got caught up in the operation twice. Earlier this month, he was arrested after a search warrant at his home revealed crack cocaine, Dilaudid tablets and Ecstasy. Then on Tuesday, he was caught after running from deputies who spotted him in DeLand. When he fled out of view, he tried to ditch a black bag containing crack cocaine and Hydromophone – which deputies initially saw in his hand and later found hidden behind a small children’s ball nearby.

Sanmeshia Johnson, 29 (DOB 4/16/1988)
Possession of a weapon by a convicted felon

Chrishaud Mackey, 22 (DOB 5/15/1984)
Sale of a Schedule II substance

Frank Taylor, 48 (DOB 5/7/1969)
Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
Possession of Suboxone
Possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana
Possession of methamphetamine
Possession of Oxycodone
Possession of Morphine
Possession of Hydromorphone
Possession of a Schedule II substance
Possession of drug paraphernalia

James Whites, 30 (DOB 11/25/1986)
Possession of Hydromorphone

George Dukes, 36 (who was arrested again Tuesday)
Sale of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a specified area

Several other suspects will be arrested on similar charges in the future.